Strip aligning apparatus for manifold record machines



May 12, 1931. L. F. HAGEMANN STRI P ALIGNING APPARATUS FOR MANIFOLDRECORD MACHINES Filed Oct. 5, 1926 INVENTOR.

u a L WEQ A TTORNEYS.

. Patented May 12, 1 931 UNITED STATES PATENT orries LOUIS I. HAGEMANN,OF NIAGARA FALLS,

new YORK, ASSIGNOB 'ro AMEBIGAN sums BOOK COMPANY, LIMITED, 01 TORONTO,CANADA, A CORPORATION J3 ONTARIO CANADA STRIP ALIGNING APPARATUS FORMANIFOLD RECORD Application filed October 5,

This invention relates to devices for controlling'record strips in anautog'raphic register or other machine adapted for making manifoldrecords, and with respect to more specific features to devices forcontrolling the feed, or advance movement, of a plurality of recordstrips adapted to be drawn into superposed registry relation above atablet, or platen, preliminary to inscription.

One of the important objects of the invention is the provision of asimple and practical device for braking, or tensioning, the rcord stripsas they are advanced, or fed, from a strip-supply packet into superposedposition above the platen of an autographic register.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a simple device forobtaining the braking effect and one which will firmly, fri'ctionallygrip the strips and which may readily-be set to obtain differentgripping or braking effects, all Without injury to the record strips.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a simple andefficient device whereby light but effective, independent, gripping ofseveral paper record strips is obtained and which acts promptly toarrest, or braire the strips as soon as the strip-advancing forceceases, but which permits ready advance of the strips under a relativelylight advancing force and, with such force, participates in tensioningthe strips andcausin'g them to lie in smooth and .unwrinkled conditionsuitable for accurate inscription.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in partappear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the feature of construction,combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will beexemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope ofthe application of which will be indicated in the claims. I

- For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the inventionreference should be had to the following detailed description taken inconnection With the accompanying drawings, in which 50 V Fig. 1 is aperspective View, partly in sec- 1926. Serial No. 189,572.

tion, of an autographic register having the invention embodied therein.

Fig. 2 is a plan view, partly broken away, showing the oraking, or gr deFig. 3 is an enlarged t section through two of th ping devices of Fig.

Fig. 4: is an enlarged at tion, of one of the gripper I Fig. 5 is aperspec ive View of one. of the gripper jaws, and

F ig. 6 is a plan view of a section of one of the record strips whichmay be used.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the numeral lindicatesa flat meta? m: plate forming the platen of an autographic register.Near the front end of the plate is the strip-feeding mechanism composedof an upper friction roller 2. and the two low feed disks 3, each of thedisks 3 being fa. a driving shaft 4 journalled in the side wa of themachine and having an operating; crank and handle 5. i a l numerals 6indicate several record strips, three being illustrated, each of whichmay be similar to the others. As illustrated in Fig. 5, each of therecord strips 6 consists of a long relatively narrow strip of paperwhich is sufficiently thin and soft, so that an inscription made uponthe topmost of such strips may be transferred to underlying superposedstrips, through the interposition of carbon transfer sheets, as is wellunderstood in the manifolding art. These transfer sheets may come from aroll 40 of such sheets lying in a side receptacle 30. Each of the strips6 is provided with a longitudinal series of form-registering apertures 7and a series of printed forms 8. In the strips illustrated, theform-registering apertures 7 are in duplicate, there being twoform-regis-- tering' apertures 7 adjacent each printed form 8. Theform-registering apertures 7 are in the same relation to the respectiveforms, in each of the several superposed strips 6, so that when theform-registering apertures of different strips are in superposedregistry with each other, the adjacent printed forms 8 are also insuperposed registry with each other, so that an inscription 10! madeupon the topmost printed form will'be copied, in the same relativeposit1on, on the underlying printed form of the different strips. Thetwo feed disks 3 are spaced from eachother on the shaft 4 so that one isin longitud'mal alignment with one longitudlnal series of apertures 7,the other disk 3 being in longitudinal alignment with the other seriesof apertures 7. Furthermore, a large part of the periphery of each ofthe disks 3 is sufiicientl narrow to engage within the apertures 7. itthe side of each of the disks 3 is a lug or starter 9, which is adaptedto engage the bottom record strip at the side of the a ertures 7, and tocooperate with the upper eecl roller 2 to grip all the stripstherebetween, and advance the strips. The peripheral length of the disks3 may be slightly greater than the longitudinal distance betweensuccessive apertures 7 whereas the peripheral length of the lugs 9 issuflicient to feed the strips un til the edges of disks 3 emerge fromthe aperj tures 7. It will be seen that the feed mechanism is generallysimilar to that disclosed in Hagemann Patent No. 1,456,773, May 29,

1923, to which reference is made.

Assuming the three sutpeiposed strips to be engaged between the eeroller 2 and the disks 3, turning of the handle 5 will re sult infeeding or advancing all the record stri s until the disks 3 engage anaperture 7 in the lowermost strip. Thereupon advance of the lowermoststri becoming idle for f eding the lowermost strip because of thefailure of paper thereof at the gripping point, due to the presence ofthe aperture 7. But the edge of the disk 3 may enter the aperture in thelowermost strip and continue to advance the superposed strip until theaperture of the latter also en ages the disk 3, whereupon its advance wil cease, and so on. In this wise the apertures 7 corresponding to oneset of superposed forms 8 will be registered with each other insuperposed relation, with consequent registration of the superposedforms. In customary practice the feed roll 2 is geared to rotate withthe disks 3 and is spring-pressed towards said disk 3 so as effectivelyto grip the strips therebetween, as illustrated. In rear of the platen lis a longitudinal series of parallel strip-guide bars 12, providinggripper jaws, each of which cooperates with one or more filamentalgripper jaws 13, to grip the record strips advanced or fed therebetween.In normal operation, when the strips are being advanced the jaws 12 arestationary. Each jaw 12 consists ofv a fairly stiff steel plate having asubstantially flat, or plane, strip-gripping face 14, inclined to thehorizontal, and of substantial area, the flat gripping face beingrelatively hard by reason of the metal of the guide-bar. Each of thefilamental gripper jaws 13 is provided by filaments, as animal bristles,the

will cease, the disk 3 found that relatively stiff and resilientbristles are suitable for the purpose, when so treated. The frictionbristles, or friction filaments, resulting from such treatment, areassembled in a bundle, and the bundle folded at the center and itsfolded end anchored to a rotatively adjustable member, gripper-jaw suporting rod, or carrier 15, parallel to the gui e-bars 12. Asillustrated, the carrier may e a rod journalled for rotative adjustmentin the rigid side plates 16 and 17, which side plates also receive andrelatively stationarily support the ends of the guide-bars 12. There areas many rods 15 as there are guide bars 12. For holding rods 15 inadjusted positions, the set screws 18 pass through the side plates 16and 17 into threaded apertures 19,

in the ends of the rods 15, and may be tight ened or loosened at will.

For anchoring the bundles to the rods 15, the latter are each providedwith openings 20, therethrough, each opening having an interior shoulder21. In each opening 20 is a wire loop 22, engaging the fold of thebundle of filaments in the opening, the wire passing out of the openings20, and being drawn taut and secured in any efficient way, as bytwisting one end of the wire around the length 32 which'extends betweenthe two openings 20. In this wise the filaments provide resilient arms,or bundle-arms, of the carrier 15, in which the lengths of the filamentsare disposed generally longitudinally of the arms, and also of the pathsof the record strips. The filaments extend from the carrier 15 in thegeneral feed-wise direction of the strips, and are so dis osed thattheir sides cooperate with the gui e-bars 12 to grip the record strips,filaments of the bundle making direct contact with the paper record stris. The manner described for attaching the aments or bristles in positionenables the extending or active ends to lie quite loose and open withrelation to each other and avoids a too compact bundle for effectivecooperation in the smoothing and tensioning function upon the recordstrips. This form of attachment therefore accomplishes advantages forthe -particular purpose over other forms of at- In the embodimentillustratedthe record strip. To effect the gripping the filaments arestressed so that their sides cooperate with'the other jaws resilientlyto grip the strips. The stressing is readily produced by loosening thescrews 18, and rotating the rods 15, so as to cause the filaments topress against the bar 12 with the pressure sought,

the bending and stressing of the filaments following as a consequence.

In the illustrated embodiment, the supporting rods 15 are disposedclosely adjacent and below the guide-bars 12, respectively, and thefilament arms project from said rods 15 into strip-gripping relationwith guide-bars in advance of the rods, respectively. Also in theembodiment illustrated, the ti s 23 of the filaments are exposed andsome 0 them may lie fairly close to the next adjacent record strip 6thereabove. To avoid possible injury to the paper record strips the tipsof the filaments are disposed inside the uppermost guide margin of theguide-bars 12, and said uppermost guide margin, as at 24, is in a planeabove the tips, so that the next upper strip is guided past and close tothe gripper jaws of the lower'strip, but out of contact with the tipsofthe filaments at the free end of the arm gripping the lower strip. Itwill be understood that all the guide-bars 12, all the carrier rods 15,and all the friction filaments may be alike, as illustrated, and thatone, two, or more filament arms 13 may be employed in each carrier rod15, two being llustrated. Or a single bundle of filaments may be madewide enough to extend the full width of the strip.

The frame composed of the side plates 16 and 17, connected by theguide-bars l2 and the rods 15 may be pivoted at its front to the sideframes of the register, as indicated at 25, so that the entire grippingand braking mechanism maybe tilted into vertical position for moreconvenient" threading of the record strips between the gripper jaws.

In the embodiment illustrated the three record strips come from a zigzagfolded sup-- ply packet enclosed in the register beneath the platen asindicated at 34, Fig. 1. To thread these strips in the machine, theframe carrying the gripper jaws is lifted up on the pivot 25. Thereuponthe ends of the three record strips 6 are passed around a guide bar 35supported between the side frames of the register,- and the ends ofthese strips are passed between the gripper jaws 12 and 13, one strippassing between one set of jaws and the other between the next set ofjaws, as

- illustrated in Fig. 3. The ends of the strips are then interleavedwith the carbon sheets over the platen 1, and are then passed betweenthe feed disks 3 and the upper feed roller 2, the housing 36 carryingthe upper feed roller being first lifted to permit easy passage of thestrips at this point. Thereupon the housing 36 may be lowered and helddown by any suitable means, and the gripper jaw carrying frame restoredto horizontal position, resting 13 assures resilient gripping of thestrips at a multiplicity of closely adjacent oints Widthwise of thestrips, so that the e ect is practically to assure gripping throughoutthe width of the bundle of filaments. Each threadlike filament incontact with the strip performs its gripping action in a manner more orless independent of the gripping action of another filament.Furthermore, notwithstanding that the filaments are very small indiameter, a very substantial length of stressed filament is caused toengage the strip, by reason of the generally flat surface 14 of thecooperative gripper jaw 12. It will, therefore, be seen that firmgripping is assured, even though it be resilient and, light, and thatthe braking and tensioning effect is augmented by the highly frictionalsurface of a so that the most effective gripping and braking effect maybe obtained for different qualities of record strips. Once havingregistered the apertures of the superposed record strips at the feedmechanism, the regulatory effect of the braking and tensioning mechanismherein described contributes largely ',;to re taining registration'ofthe succeeding super posed apertures of the strips and preventingdisplacement from registered position.

'lVith the arrangement of elements disclosed, each of the superposedstrips is in dividually tensioned by its own bundle-arm gripper and eachgripper may be independently adjusted to vary individually thetensioning on the several strips. When one of the strips, say the bottomstrip, is stopped or checked by the aligning action of the feedingmechanism, the otheror superposed strips will still continue. to be fed,tensioned and smoothed by the action of the bundle-arm grippers withoutany substantial alteration in any one of these functions or actions. Inother words, due to the independent tensioning arrangement mentioned,the feeding, tensioning and smoothing actions are substantially constantand unaltered, whether all the strips are feeding together at the samerate or whether one or more of them has been checked by the aligningaction of the feeding mechanism. The result is that the tensioning andsmoothing action on all of the strips is more uniform than in priordevices, and the aligning action of the strips more certain andefi'ectim'.-

This improved action is due, in part at least to the independentbundle-arm foreach strip, because with this arrangement there verylittle'frictional resistance between the adjacent strips, one of whichmay be moving faster thanthe companion contacting strip, the stripsbeing separated to some extent by the individual grippers. There is animproved aligning action oil the feed mechanism described when combinedwith the bristle or bundle-arm, as has been proved by experiment. Thisimproved aligning action is probably due, at least in part, to the factthat the bundle arms cooperate more effectively with the strips toimpose a smooth and steady tension. Thus, the aligner acts also moreeffectively to perform its strip aligning function, there being lesstendency to slippage of the feed grip of the feed discs and lesstendency to failure in the aligning and tensioning functions. Thisfeature is especial importance when one of the strips, as the bottomstrip, has been first brought into its final aligned position becausethe feeding of the other strips is permitted to continue without anyappreciable alteration in the resistance to advancement until all of thestrips have been brought into alignment, with the blank forms thereon insuperposed registry.

Thus by the above described construction are accomplished, among others,the objects hereinbefore referred to.

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction anddifferent embodiments of the invention could be made without departingfrom the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in theabove description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall beinterpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a pair ofgripper jaws adapted to cooperate to grip a record strip advancingtherebetween, one of said jaws including friction filaments so disposedthat their sides cooperate with the other jaw to grip said strip, andmeans adapted to cause said gripping with resilient effect.

:2. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a pairof gripper jaws adapted to cooperate to grip a record stripadvancingtherebetween, one of said jaws including resilient friction filamentsdisposed and stressed so that their sides coopcrate with the other jawresiliently to grip said strip.

3. In an apparatus of the character described. in combination, a pair ofgripper jaws adapted to cooperate to grip a record "ripadvancingtherebetween, one of said eluding an arm having resilient trietion filaments dispcsed and stressed so that sides of the filamentscooperate with the other jaw resiliently to grip said strip, and meansadapted to guide another record strip past and close to said gripperjaws out of contact with the tips of said filaments at the free end ofsaid arm.

' 4. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a pairof gripper jaws adapted to cooperate to grip a record strip advancingtherebetween, one of said jaws including friction filaments so disposedthat their sides cooperate with the other jaw to grip said strip, andmeans ada ted to cause said gripping with resilient e ect, the lastmentioned jaw being substantially flat where it cooperates with saidfilaments to grip said stri 5. In an apparatus of the characterdescribed, in combination, a. pair of gripper jaws adapted to cooperateto grip a record strip advancing therebetween, one of said jawsincluding resilient friction filaments disposed and stressed so thattheir sides cooperate with the other jaw resiliently to grip said strip,the last mentioned jaw being substantially flat where it cooperates withsaid .iilaments to grip said strip.

2. In an apparatus of the character described. in combination, a pair ofgripper adapted to cooperate to grip a record p advancing therebetween,one of said j: 5-: including a feed-wise extending bundle-arm, composedof resilient friction bristies, the lengths of which are disposedgenerally longitudinally of said arm.

7'. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, a pairof gripper jaws adapted to cooperate to grip a record strip advancingtherebetween, a. member rotatively adjustable to increase or decreasethe gripping efl'ect between said jaws,.one of said jaws including abundle-arm composed of longitudinally extending, resilient, frictionfilaments adapted to contact said strip,

one end of said arm being anchored to and rotative with said member.

8. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, stripgripping means including a resilient strip-gripping arm composed offolded, resilient, friction filaments, a carrier having an openingtherethrough in which the folds of said filaments lie, and a strandengaging said folds in said opening.

9. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, stripgripping means including a resilient strip-gripping arm composed offolded, resilient, friction filaments, a rotatively adjustable rodhaving an opening therethrough in which the folds of said filaments lie,a strand engaging said folds in said opening, and means for holding saidrod in difi'erent adjusted positions.

10. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, aplurality of parallel strip-guide bars, a plurality of rotativelyadjustable, gripper-jaw supporting rods, said rods being closelyadjacent and parallel to said bars, respectively, and in rear of saidbars relative to the direction of advance of the record strips, each ofsaid rods having a bundle-arm of resilient, friction filaments anchoredthereto and projecting therefrom in the direction of advance of therecord strip and into strip-gripping relation with a guide-bar inadvance of its closely adjacent guide-bar.

11. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, aplurality of. parallel strip-guide bars, a plurality of rotativelyadjustable, gripper-jaw supporting rods, said rod being closely adjacentand parallel to said bars, respectively, and in rear of said barsrelative to the direction of advance of the record strips, each of saidrodshaving a bundle-arm of resilient, friction filaments anchoredthereto and projecting therefrom in the direction of advance of therecord strip and into strip-gripping relation with a guide-bar inadvance of its closely adja cent guide-bar, the tips of the filaments ofsaid arms being within the uppermost guide margins of said guide-bars,respectively.

12. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, aplurality of parallel strip-guide bars, a plurality of rotativelyadjustable, gripper-j aw supporting rods, said rods being closelyadjacent and parallel to said bars, respectively, and in rear of saidbars relative to the direction of advance of the record strips, each ofsaid rods having a bundle-arm of resilient, friction filaments anchoredthereto and projecting therefrom in the direction of advance of therecord strip and into strip-gripping relation with a guide-bar inadvance of its closely adjacent guide-bar, the tips of the filaments ofsaid arms being within the uppermost guide margins of said guide-bars,respectively, the sides of said filaments being disposed to contact thestrips, and the faces of said guidebars being of substantial area andsubstantially flat, opposite the strip contacting sides of saidfilaments.

strips, each of said strips having a longitudinal series of registeringapertures, said mechanism including a rotary feed disk adapted tocooperate togrip and feed the strips, the edge of said disk having anarrow portion adapted to engage an aperture and thereby become idle tofeed the strip having such aperture, and means for braking the feedmovement of said strips comprising a plurality of sets of resilientfriction bristles one for each of said strips, the length of whichbristles lie substantially longitudinal to the path of the strips, saidbristles so disposed that their sides contact with the strips, and stiffand hard gripper jaws cooperative with said bristles to yieldingly gripthe strips.

15. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination, stripgripping means including a bundle-arm for each of a plurality ofsuperposed record strips having a longitudinal series of feed aperturestherein and adapted for feeding movement, means whereby each of saidbundle-arms cooperates to grip a separate strip, and strip feedmechanism including a rotary feed disk cooperating to grip and feed thestrips, and having an edge portion adapted to enter said strip aperturesso as to check strip feed and to eifect strip alignment.

16. In an apparatus of the character described, in combination,mechanism adapted to feed a plurality of superposed record.

strips, each of said strips having a longitudinal series of registeringapertures, said mechanism including a rotary feed disk adapted tocooperate to grip-and feed the strips, the edge of said disk having anarrow portion adapted to engage an aperture and thereby become idle tofeed the strip having such aperture, and means for braking the feedmovement of said strips comprising a plurality of sets of resilientfriction bristles, -one for each of said strips,and stiff and hardgripper jaws cooperative with said bristles to yieldingly grip thestrips.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

LOUIS F. HAGEMANN.

13. In an apparatus of the 'character described, in combination, a pairof gripper jaws adapted to cooperate to grip a record strip advancingtherebetween, one of said jaws including resilient friction filaments

